Tag Archives: Things to do in Bangalore

Travelling to a new place? What do you carry back as souvenirs to friends and family? This is a common scenario that all of us are put into almost everytime. While there are regional specific things that you can pick up, there are common dilemmas associated with each of them.

• Traditional clothes- might not fit well or the design and the colour might not be liked by the receiver.

• Local delicacies and sweets- It may not be a good idea if the receiver is dealing with some health conditions or certain diet restrictions. And then, food items may have a shelf life that would not stay fresh until u reach back.

• Local handicrafts- Again, needs to suit the choice and budget of the giver and the receiver.

Well.. The reasons and dilemmas may be several but it is easy to find options when travelling anywhere regional. But, the metro cities have usually evolved as an amalgamation of cultures. Be it culture, traditions, craft, food, lifestyle etc., they represent variety. Hence, what you might pick up as a souvenir may actually be soemthing that represents a larger region or soemthing very generic.

If you are someone travelling to Bangalore and would like to take back something that is an authentic piece of Old Bengaluru- here is my pick. This is exclusive to Bangalore and does not have influence from any other regions of Karnataka. While several local products can be bought even at a crafts fair at your very own city/town of stay, this is something that can be bought ONLY in Bangalore. These are something that are sold only at authorises showrooms that are located in this city alone. Take them back and you will be loved!

HMT watches: In 1969, it was a subsidiary started by the Government run ‘Hindustan Machine Tools’ with technical collaboration with ‘the Citizen watches co. Japan’. Soon, these watches created some kind of a time revolution (literally) with the HMT watches being mostly recognised as a possession of pride. HMT clocks adorned all major clock towers and railway stations across the country and can be seen ticking in good health even till date. HMT’s seven signature clocks like the tower clock, solar clock, population clock, master slave clock, display clock, the International clock and the floral clock that are symbols of innovation, are placed at different places across the nation. Although HMT watches’ connection with Bangalore is strong because its factory was located here, these timepieces are a representation of a bygone era of not just Bangalore but of an India of the yore. These are masterpieces of Indian craftsmanship and something that was fondly called as the ‘Timekeeper of India’. This iconic factory was shutdown in 2016 due to severe financial and political reasons.

Although the manufacture of the clocks has become obsolete, the last few pieces of their wrist watches are being assembled on a small room above their showroom in Jalahalli. These are valued as prized possesions by several watch collectors and can be bought from a range of handwound mechanical watches, quartz jeweled watches, skeletal watches, automatic and chronographs ranging in the price bracket of Rs.500 to Rs.15000. While these watches are on their way to go out of production (they will be produced only until the stocks of childparts last), they can be a truly meaningful souvenir to take back that could be handed over to the next generation who might never have an opportunity to live through the real era of HMT watches.

Do you agree this is a nice gifting idea? What other things do you think represent Bangalore aptly?

After having a travel-ful 2018 with atleast one long travel a month, I have decided to have a more relaxed new year. Hence, I have my theme for travel in 2019 tweaked a bit. I have no major long distance travel goals for the year and would like to settle down exploring the surrounding places at Bangalore and my hometown and spend little more time on writing, something that was overlooked in the past couple of years.

So, to start off the year, my January of 2019 had me traveling to my hometown almost every weekend due to several personal commitments. And, amidst all the mayhem that life had for me at Madikeri, I found time to sit back once in a while and travel down the memory lane. Having born and spending my childhood almost entirely in my hometown, there are scores of undocumented memories associated with almost every corner of this hill town. So, would be the case with thousands of those other kids from the 90’s who lived there at some point too… Don’t we all have memories from our growing up days associated with those small places and things? Often in the rat race, we tend to forget to cherish and be thankful for those golden memories from childhood. Here are five things that I re-lived during my last visit to Madikeri and I’m sure all who grew up in this quaint town will reminisce with me.

1. Government hospital– The year started with doing the dutiful rounds at this hospital with a amily member who was sick. It was the exact place where this big grown up body came into existence; This hospital is the exact place where I was born. While a lot of things have changed about the hospital as it has been upgraded from being a district hospital to a specialty hospital & medical college, yet there are a few things that are still left unchanged. Like the labor ward where I was born for instance…! Two generations of my family members and the whole line-up of models (Brother & all my cousins summing up to a dozen of them😉) were born there and we all look forward to having our future generations born there as well 😛 There I was, traveling back in time to the earliest of memories…

2. Paris Hotel– The internet has spoken enough about the mutton cutlets of the ‘East end hotel’, masala dosas of the ‘Hill top hotel’ or even a meal with a view at the ‘Valley view hotel’. There is yet another hotel that is older than me which is located right in the heart of the town, the M.G.road of Madikeri. Ooops, read it college road! It is now called the ‘New Paris hotel’ after its renovation. I make sure to grab their signature dishes- Palam pori (Banana fritters) and Masala vada every time I’m in town. These popular snacks of kerala are so good that they run out of the shelves in less than a couple of hours of being stacked. Complimenting it with a nice cup of Malabar tea is a mandate for me and I try my luck to find some stock to pack for Bangalore.

3. Kuppu’s beauty parlour: With almost the third generation of professional barbers of this family that I know, I have very fond memories of getting my regular hair-cuts at this gent’s salon. Today when I go back there for a haircut, I feel like ‘Yeah… times have changed. I have graduated from the baby’s seat to a push-back adult’s seat. And the cost has gone up ten-fold, from Rs.10 to Rs.100 for a lady’s hair-style. The shop too has moved from the ground floor 10 seat something to a single seat salon on the first floor. But somethings never change! There is a bunch of loyal customers (Both Men & women) who travel down from other cities/towns to Kuppu’s just for their haircuts. Such is the popularity of his services. But, reducing the salon size was inevitable says Mr.Ganesh, the present owner and main-man at this popular salon. With age, managing such a big place was getting hard and he prefers the next generation to run nuclear business.

4. Basappa theatre and Kaveri Mahal: The lifeline to all the movie buffs of Madikeri, for not just the 90’s kids but several generations, how can we not give credits to these two single screen cinema halls? From playing the latest Kannada movies and English movies once in a while, these were (probably still are!) the favourite haunt for most native residents of Madikeri and the nearby villages who seek some kind of entertainment after the sun goes down in this silent hill-station. I remember standing in long queues to get the tickets when a movie in the local languages (Kodava Thakk or Are Bashe) are showed. Or do you recollect memories of being taken in batches from school to watch a mandatory documentary at these cinema halls? Weren’t those fond memories? When was the last time you watched a documentary in a big screen? When was the last time you watched a feature film in a single screen movie hall? Was it a Gandhi class or a balcony ticket?

5. Madikeri fort– We had days of marching in the Independence day parade at the fort courtyard and standing through the pouring rain until the chief guest was done with his address. What were we thinking while doing a peek-a-boo down, to the former district jail from above the parapet? Were we hoping to see the inmates..? or did we expect to get back some waves and ‘Hai’s from them? May be! Or even for some of those who would climb up the narrow ladder to get a view from the big bell near the court hall.. Does any of these ring a bell???

Which is your favourite memory of growing up in Madikeri? Share them with me…

This is a pick from old memories of exactly a year ago.. I had decided to catch up with my mom over the weekend while she was away on a business trip.

I boarded the bus to Belgaum from Bangalore and my mom was there to receive me when I alighted there the next morning.. We freshened up at the place where mom was put up and then we headed straight to Gokak. The little town known for its cotton mill, is also famous for the nature’s treat- the mighty Niagara of Karnataka. The bubbling, roaring and crashing waters of the Ghataprapha river create steady patterns here with endless rhythm as it leaps 52m down between two tall, craggy cliffs to form the Gokak falls..

Gokak falls- pictured from the Volkart rock view point

The century old hanging bridge, the only mode for the textile workers to cross the river allows us to enjoy the breathtaking vista of the environ as the gushing water plummets down. The presence of turbines dating back to 1885 stands testimony to the electricity generation station established here which still provides power source for the cotton mill across the street. The 11th century Shiva temple dedicated to Lord Mahalingeshwara (Locally known as Tarakeshwara temple), built in the Kalyani Chalukyan style, faces the cotton mill and flanks one side of the gorge.

Gokak falls- view from the hanging bridge

Meanwhile, I called a friend of mine who hails from Belagavi district to enquire about other places I could visit around his hometown. He guided us to a small village named Godchinmalki where river Markandeya cascades down amid a scenic backdrop forming another beautiful waterfall called by the same name. Mom and I walked down for 2kms through rolling green pastures, fields of corn and banana plantation to reach this waterfall that plummets down in 2 storeys. Once we reached there- it was a thorough treat to our senses to watch the waterfalls racing ferociously through the deep gorge.

Godachinamalki falls

We thanked my friend who had directed us to such a beautiful place in the lap of mother nature which, we would have missed otherwise.

Godachinamalki falls- the beautifully dangerous gorges

On our way back, we took a little longer route from where we got a complete view of river Markandeya snaking though the greens. A 9kms long underground canal carries water from the river across which can be seen emerging out of the hill from this view point. The snaking roads with beautiful views of the valley was a wonderful drive to the city.

Godachinamalki view point

After all the waterfall hopping was done, it was time for some temple visit. We headed to Saundatti a.k.a. Savadatti. This place was the capital of the Ratta / Rastrakuta dynasty from 820, until it was shifted to Belgaum in 1230. There is a fort here also called the Parasgad fort. But, the most famous is the Renukadevi temple located atop the Yellamma gudda. This is a very place important for devout followers of Godess Shakthi. It also is an important place for the devadasis- or the servants of god. We had a good darshan during the pooja offered at sunset time. and it was soon dark and time for me to head back home to face another boring week ahead…

Savadatti Yellamma temple

Do not miss to pick up kardantu(a sweet made with dry fruits rolled into balls with jaggery) while you are at Gokak.

Too many details to type in about a super awesome weekend.. So let me zip through it ASAP 🙂

We started from Bangalore at 2.a.m. hoping to reach Bandipur by 6.a.m- That’s when the forest checkpost opens and we could spot few animals on the road.. But, due to frequent pit-stops, we made it only by 7.a.m.- Nevertheless, We spotted a good number of elephants, peafowls, fox, deers, sambars, wild boars etc.

A view of the valley from one of the hairpin bends of Ooty

First in the visit list was the Avalanche – A steep & breathtaking climb of 35 hairpin bends with deep valley covered by thick white snowy clouds on one side led us to the Queen of hills- Udagamandalam a.k.a. Ootacamund a.k.a. Ooty. Without wasting much time amidst the maddening crowd of tourists there, we drove down another set of 34 hairpin curves- 25 kms further from Ooty to reach the forest checkpost of Avalanche.. Thick rainforests on either sides, bumpy waterlogged pot-holes, scenic view of backwaters of the Emerald dam at every turn accompanied us all the way till the start point of the eco-tour.. Once there, we hired the forest jeep for a 24 kms drive through the Shola forests- It was indeed a BEAUTIFUL place 🙂

One of the many waterfalls tucked away in the Avalanche forest

On a clear day, one can see the dam from this place.. A century old Bhavani temple, innumerous waterfalls along the way finally ended at Lakdi spot. This is a BEAUTIFUL place and a must visit for the backpacker.. Thick fog makes the visibility poor which adds onto the adventure of the jeep ride. If one is lucky, he could spot a leopard or an elephant on the way..

Enroute to the Bhavani temple @ Avalanche

After a short break at Ooty- the last place to fill fuel, draw cash from the ATM, buy the essentials- we headed towards THE DESTINATION- “Masinagudi”- a part of the Mudumalai forest range. We had booked our stay at the Whistling woods estate which is adjacent or rather located within the reserve forest itself..

Our cars were parked at the Singara checkpost, beyond which only jeeps/SUVs can be used to reach the cottages. This 3 km ride was a GRAND welcome in itself: Our road was blocked by herds of elephants, bisons and deers. These encounters took our excitement to a soaring high..!!

After a quick round of dinner, we all got ready for the highlight of the trip- The night safari: at 00.00 hrs in the night, who can believe if we say we drove in an open jeep into the heart of the national park in search of a tiger that was feasting on its latest kill..?? And once there, the screeching monster engines haulted, lights were switched off- Not even the moon; only the open sky with the twinkling stars guided us through. The only 2 sounds we could hear: The chirping of the crickets & the pounding of our anxious hearts.. What we all discovered right there, in the middle of nowhere was “ETERNAL BLISS”. Even after a thorough search through the remotest corners of the grassland, we could not find the tiger until 2.00.a.m. We were definitely sad about the fact, but the bumpy ride in itself was worth it all…….!!! We did spot a few other animals though..!!

Next morning, we were greeted by the excellent view of the Blue mountains through the window glasses.. We all jumped up for the guided walk along the stream lining the boundary of the reserve area.. We captured some rare fauna line the Nilgiri langurs, Malabar grey hornbill, Malabar giant squirrel, pea-fowl etc. in our machine-gun-sized cameras.. The climb to the tree top house is also worth a mention that gave us a good view of the forest around.. It was afternoon already by then and we had to pack up for the return journey… 😥

Unlike what happens usually on a return journey, all the 9 of us were jumping off our seats every 100 yards until we crossed Bandipur: We encountered atleast 24 elephants including a herd with a new born, atleast 20 peacocks all set to open up their feathers as it had started to drizzle, sounder of wild boars etc. Truly awesome 🙂

At Bandipur National forest

This is ONE trip I would love to do all over again and that time, it would be for a longer stay here… in the cradle of mother nature.. Just one FANTASTIC trip 🙂

The Plan :—>Finish work by 6.00.p.m—>Reach home by 7.30.p.m—>Leave home by 9.00.p.m—> Reach the railway station by 09.45.p.m—> Board the Chennai Mail for scheduled departure at 10.40.p.mThe Actual:* Reached home at 08.30.p.m* Left home at 09.15.p.m… And then the blog starts….

Half an hour behind plan, I thought I could catch the BMTC that passes through my road at 09.30.p.m. I kept waiting.. At 09.31.p.m, the bus appeared at the end of the road.. I crossed the road to reach the actual bus stop.. Bloody HELL..!! He drove straight rather than taking a right turn and stopping at where I was.. Time was running out and the last bus on that route had zipped past without me.. Now I had to rush to the other end of the village to avail a more frequent bus service..

09.45.p.m and still no signs of any bus or any rickshaws.. One bus seemed to appear then- no lights, no route number, no passengers.. But, it was a BMTC. I just jumped in without thinking too much and I bought a ticket to BEL circle(2 stops ahead)- This is a busy junction on a usual day with buses plying to Majestic every minute.. I landed there at 09.55.p.m. The wide roads looked rather deserted with just 2-3 commuters who also boarded some private transport headed towards Hebbal. There were 2 rickshaws: I proceeded towards one- “500Rs.” he said.(that’s like 3 times the actual fare) Like I had a choice, I was just about to step into the rick and a BMTC showed up at 10.01.p.m (Mark it.. Every minute counted.!!). With the roads seeming empty, in the worst case, my journey shouldn’t take more than 30 mins. I would still have 09 mins to board the train.

10.05.p.m, the bus had already reached Ypr-toll gate. I was happy.. 2 mins ahead, It was Malleshwaram and then- There was a cloud burst- heavy downpour from nowhere.. We all could hear ‘bang-bang’ ‘thud-thud’ noise from the bus roof, windshields- huge hail stones were falling outside.. The driver was almost blinded with the windshield wipers giving away.. He still managed to reach Central at 10.25.p.m. On a normal busy day, It takes about 5-10 mins to wade through the usual traffic congestion at this junction. I still had hopes.. But, thanks to the Metro construction, the road had come to a complete stand still. So the driver took a right turn and a round about route to reach Anand Rao circle.. Again passing through link road, A gutter’s walls had given up and it was a total chaos. Bikers were pushing their 2-wheelers across, 4-wheelers were floating around with water above their seat level. This water was upto our feet inside the mighty BUS.. Inspite of the spate, our driver crossed the street.. Further ahead, approaching Anand Rao circle, the roads were water logged. One had to be totally sloshed or had to just drive based on assumptions.. And then—> THUD..!! the bus came to a thumping hault.. A few passengers in the front seats leaned over their fellow commuters- the front wheels of the bus had gotten into a large pothole(or whatever it was) with no chances of getting out.

It was 10.41.p.m(Lala… my train.??) I took my bag and just got off the bus and began to walk.. Trust me: I did not know which street I was in and had no clue of the way to the station.. And its POURING cats & dogs and I have no umbrella..!! The water on the roads were upto my knees(I could not pull up my trousers further up)… 6 rickshaws appeared all at once- 5 declined to ferry me to the station, while the last one nodded a YES.. I just jumped in, “50 Rs..!!” he said for a basic fare ride. “It’s OK.. just take me ASAP..” I said. Poor fellow rode across with extreme caution and care because I was a lone girl(A rarity in Bengaluru to find such rickshaw-walas). Just as I figured out where I was (Shantala theatre), the auto stopped with a choke. Stranded in the middle of the road, the driver kept cranking the engine again and again.. I asked him if I had to get down, he said “No madam.. it is not safe for you. It will be fine. Please sit inside.” It was a pure scene of water ingress into the engine..

The time was 10.53.p.m. My point of worry now had shifted.. It was not about missing the train.. It was about what my next POA(Plan Of Action) would be..?

* I’ve been home alone for the past 2 months and no one back home to pick me up* Even if there was some one, they couldn’t reach Majestic cuz the roads were all water logged. * No bus/ricks were available to home given the road conditions.* It was not a safe idea even if some rick guy agreed to ferry me at 1000 Rs.* No way I could reach Shantinagar bus station either, in the given road conditions & the time of the night.* Travelling in a General bogie to Chennai = IMPOSSIBLE..

—> So, I was prepared to stay over at the station’s waiting room until next morning and then head back home…

10.56.p.m.: Poor guy is still cranking… All in vain. I stuffed a 100 Rs. note into his hand, told him that I was extremely sorry for causing this, thanked him warmly for the biiig favour and I began to run towards the station. I just kept running with no hopes, small hopes, faint hopes of the train waiting for me.. I tripped & then slipped.. And I fell hard on the road.. I picked up and continued to run..

11.00.p.m.– Bang on the clock- I’m on platform no.1 and the Chennai mail is beaming at me… “OH HELL.. YEAH..!!” Including the luggage, I was soaking wet till the last piece of my clothing.

I was fortunate for 3 reasons:* Not hiring the rick at BEL circle lest be stranded at the open gutter part of the city for the rest of the night* Not having washed away into some manhole in the water logged roads* Late departure of the Chennai mail.

11.01.p.m.– The train hooted and thugged past the platform. Once the journey started, all my fellow passengers were getting ready to hit the slumbers.. Forget sleeping, I could not even sit since I could not dry myself up and had cramps all over..But, it was the sheer joy of not having missed the train and making it to my friend’s D-day that made up for it all…

That’s what we call bidding farewell in style.. You need to send off a dear one on a happy note; with something that he likes doing and something that he will cherish.. So here’s the one for you Sam : A trek – for the group of people that we are- who are always high on tripping.. 🙂

From the foothills of Madhugiri – A view from our guest house

After a dinner party at the ‘Only Place’ on a Friday night, we started to drive towards NH-4 in 2 cars and 2 bikes at 1.00.a.m.. With a smooth highway road and bumpy country sides- We reached the guest house at the foothill of Madhugiri at around 4.00.a.m. The initial plan was to reach the top before sunrise to have a good view of the sun emerging out of the clouds.. But, the caretaker at the guesthouse advised us to leave after sunrise as bear attacks were reported recently on the hills.. There was hardly anytime left for sunrise and we all sat up in anticipation.

The Madhugiri fort entrance

After a coffee break at a petty shop in front of the fort entrance, we started the climb by 7.00.a.m.. The start of the trek made me feel it was an easy climb and was contrary to what I had heard of… A well laid flight of concrete stairs took us to about 1/5 th of the hill… Further, the climb was was tricky- the hill seemed a little steep, the concrete stairs were replaced by well etched steps on the rock itself.. We covered 2/5th of our climb.

A view of the Madhugiri town after climbing the flight of stairs

And then the steps vanished. There was only a rod fixed firmly to the monolith with some barbed wire and the hill had become a little more steeper. This was covering 3/5th of the ascent.

Madhugiri Betta- the supporting rods

Somewhere in between, some ruined wall emerged out.. this added to the climbing woes which gave us only limited space to place our footsteps and not sufficient grip to place our hand.. And then, we had to jump over a small(quite a big one indeed) crack in the monolith, on the other side was the steep valley.. Once, we had jumped- every structure that was man made disappeared.. It was just one super steep hill stretching into the sky.. we had to literally use all four limbs to scale this 4/5th of the hill.

Fort Madhugiri

And finally- there emerged the first glimpse of the gritty Madhugiri fort- yet, seemingly elegant. This was built by Raja Heere Gowda who owed allegiance to the Vijayanagara kings, which was later reinforced by Hyder Ali. It is believed that this fort was a comfortable hideout for many freedom fighters during the Independence struggle. Beehives on the ramparts of the fort were the only means of sustenance for them and that is said to have given the place its name – Madhu(honey)- Giri(hill)

We walked across the structure in its dilapidated form where the view on the other side was a treat to our eyes and feast for our tired souls. Our joy knew no bounds when we found a puddle of rainwater, which tasted no less than nectar from a bee hive..

A puddle of water atop the hills

We spent some time atop and started our descent so that we could reach the base before the scorching sun made his way.. It was a rather difficult way back down with me losing my grip very now and then having nothing to hold onto.. I had to sit and slide down inch by inch at many places.. And finally…. Bang at 12.00. noon, we had reached down…. An awesome trek and the last one for this season with Sam…. Wish you all the success in your career and we all look forward for many more trips with you…

Cheers..!!

P.S.: photo credits to Sam (I’d left my camera in the safe confines of my home)

It was after a long time we cousins were catching up and we planned to have an all cousins day out (no aunties, uncles, mammas and pappas ). We narrowed down on Mekedaatu as we knew we’d be leaving the house late anyway as these moms would cause delay throwing in reasons and showing worries that only kids were hanging out (KIDS..??) After all that, we started by 10.00a.m.. And to add to our woes, it was Banashankari Amma’s annual festival that day – that means a hopeless traffic jam where the metro construction was also underway..!!

Six kms before Mekedaatu, we saw a board pointing to the left which said: way to Chunchi falls. We just wanted to give it a visit since it was just enroute. We were very disappointed once we reached there, as there was hardly any water in the river; the rocks shined bright only reflecting the sunlight; it was still winter and summer was far away.. just as we were about to turn our backs like most others who were there, a localite just started a conversation with us and eventually told us he would take us to a better view point. We blindly nodded and followed him.. we crossed a small dam, a ridge.. But he kept walking.. after a tiring walk in the sun for about 1.5 kms, we slowly started to grow suspicious as to where this man was taking us as the place looked more secluded. But, just then, he pointed at a watch tower and told us that we can get a good view. Before we could react, he intruded – but, we need to walk down there, behing that bush- we were like- OK.. hmm huh..!! Once we reached that spot- it was a total sense of relief – Had we gone back, we would have missed such a great spot. I’m sure this place looks amazing in the monsoon season.

Chunchi falls

After spending a while at the falls, we thanked the old man with a few alms and headed towards Sangam. This place is a confluence of river Kaveri and Arkavathi and supposedly a very scenic spot post monsoons. But, it was a disappointment again when we reached there. Lack of rains has caused this and it being a weekend, was crammed with tourists with very little place to even sit peacefully on the river banks..

The view around Sangama

After disappointments back to back, we were apprehensive of going to Mekedaatu wondering if that place would really be worth our visit. Trekking the 3 kms distance from Sangama to Mekedatu is banned now and hence, we had to wait for the pick up bus to come. We lost our patience, and crossed the shallow waters back to reach our car. The security guard who had been observing us, walked upto us and suggested that we go to Mekedaatu since we had already come so far from the city. We were still half minded, and tossed a coin. Heads said a ‘Go’.. So we again crossed the river, by then the bus had returned. We got the last seat for ourselves. The bus was a total-out-of-the-junk-yard-thing. The seats we were sitting on were infact tied to the roof rails with strings- more like a swing..!! And the fully crammed bus(packed to twice its capacity) started. It was an unpaved road, and a lot of dust was filled inside the bus which made us literally stand up from those swinging seats..

View enroute to Mekedaatu from Sangama

Once we reached Mekedaatu after a strenuous back seat ride, we felt that the security guard was right- It was a nice place. But, again insufficient rains did not give me the internet picture I wanted. Legend has it, that a goat had jumped across this gorge to escape from a chasing tiger and hence the name derived from Kannada. (Meke = goat; daatu = cross)

We decided to get on to the top of the bus, as our onward ride was a bad experience. Trust me.. It was the highlight of our entire day.. The best bus ride we all have ever had in our life. The bus went at high speed blowing the dust high up from the unpaved roads.. There was just just one thin steel rod around for us to hold onto- that too was tied to the windows below.. At one point, another bus came in the opposite direction, and our bus went completely off road and was balancing on few small stones on the slope of the valley so that he could make enough space for the other bus to pass through the narrow road.. we could reach the tree tops, see the best views of the river, valley… One amazing ride…

The bus approaching from the opposite direction

We ended up feeling that the return trip was a very short one and wanting for more… one adrenaline rush moment it was..!! truly..!!

It was the last ride for the day as the sun had already set and we returned to our homes high on energy and all charged up and motivated for an extremely boring week ahead 😦